Do not register only to promote your site with a link in profile!
Tue, 2007-01-16 06:11
This seems like a common spamming practice. Some people register only so that they can have one more link to their site, putting the URL of their homepage in a Nuxified profile. Such members never contribute anything and only inflate the number of users on the site while making it look not so good. This is considered spam and is therefore forbidden.
To those who do it or consider doing it, don't bother! Your account will be deleted. It is quite easy to detect suspicious profiles!
Thank you
Actually, here is what I am considering to deal with this issue. This idea uses a neat fact that has been true for quite a while now, that all new users are added to a specific "non-authenticated" role before clicking on the activation link in the email they get. This user status is therefore only temporary, as it should be.
All members who register and do not post nor authenticate their account in a certain period of time (like, a month) are subject for deletion.
Edit: Currently non-authenticated members can be seen here.
I noticed this a while ago, and that many users did not use their accounts. I did suggest pruning users every so often...maybe yearly?
I just pruned all users not authenticated for more than one month (and without any activity). I doubt that if they don't activate their account nor post in this time that they had any serious intention of becoming an active member. Most of them are profile-spammers.
I'll be doing this periodically. Maybe a year would be a bit too big a period, but I'll be doing it, just so the potential spammers know that it's pointless for them to even try.